Inspection, testing & certification
EICR, PAT test or certificate?
Inspection, testing and certification is the least glamorous half of this trade and the half that keeps landlords, employers and farm businesses out of trouble. It comes in three flavours that people routinely confuse: an EICR on the fixed wiring, a PAT test on the things that plug in, and the certificate you get at the end of new work. Here's what each one actually is, who legally needs which, and what happens when something fails.
Three documents, three jobs
Which one you actually need.
01
EICR — the fixed wiring
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is an inspection and test of everything wired in: the consumer unit, the circuits, the earthing and bonding, the accessories. It's a snapshot of condition, not a pass certificate for eternity. Faults are coded — C1 means danger present, C2 means potentially dangerous, C3 is improvement recommended, and FI means further investigation required. Only C1, C2 and FI make a report unsatisfactory.
02
PAT testing — the things that plug in
A full PAT test is both a visual inspection and an in-depth check with specialist portable appliance testing equipment. The visual half finds most of the real faults — a cracked plug, a cable pulled out of its gland, somebody's repair in insulating tape. You get a register of what was tested, what passed and what came out of service, which is the part that's actually useful when someone asks.
03
Certificates on new work
New circuits and alterations get an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate, and notifiable work is registered so you get the building control paperwork too. If you've had work done and never received a certificate, you haven't got a record of it — and that turns up at the worst possible moment, usually during a sale.
04
Landlords: every five years
Private landlords in England must have the fixed wiring inspected and tested at least every five years, give the tenant a copy of the report, and have any C1, C2 or FI item put right within 28 days — sooner if it says so. We're happy to do the report and the remedials, and equally happy to just do the report if you'd rather have the remedials priced by someone else.
05
Shops, offices and village halls
Commercial premises need their fixed installation inspected on a risk-based interval, and the appliances PAT tested. We'll do both in one visit where we can, working round trading hours, and give you one set of paperwork rather than two documents from two firms that don't refer to each other.
06
Farms and agricultural premises
A farm is a workplace with a dusty, wet, corrosive and mechanically hostile installation in it, which is why periodic inspection intervals there are short. Assurance scheme inspectors and insurers both ask. Better to have the report, know what's on it and fix it in your own time than to find out during an audit.
The codes, plainly.
An EICR is a coded document, and the coding is the whole thing. Only C1, C2 and FI make a report unsatisfactory — and the gap between a C2 and a C3 is where an unscrupulous report makes its money.
- C1Danger present. Risk of injury. Made safe before we leave the property — that isn’t optional and it isn’t chargeable as a favour.
- C2Potentially dangerous. Needs putting right, but it isn’t hurting anybody this afternoon. Makes the report unsatisfactory.
- C3Improvement recommended. Not a fault, not a failure — you get to decide. We will not promote these to C2 to grow the remedial quote.
- FIFurther investigation required. Something couldn’t be resolved on the day. Also makes the report unsatisfactory until it’s chased down.
What people ask afterwards.
What happens if my EICR comes back unsatisfactory?
You get a list of coded observations with a quote for putting them right. A C1 gets made safe on the day, before we leave. A C2 needs doing but isn't an emergency. A C3 is advisory — you can decide. We won't inflate C3s into C2s to sell remedial work, and if another electrician's report has done that to you, we'll give you a second opinion.
How long does an EICR take?
A small flat is a couple of hours; an average house is most of a morning; a farm or a commercial unit depends entirely on how many circuits and how accessible they are. Power goes off in sections while we test, so it's worth knowing if anything in the building can't lose supply.
Do I need every appliance PAT tested every year?
No — intervals are risk-based. A hand-held tool on a building site is a different proposition from a desktop printer that never moves. We'll set sensible intervals for your kit rather than testing everything annually because it's easier to invoice.
Can you test and then do the remedial work?
Yes, and most people would rather have one firm for both. It does mean the person finding the faults is the person quoting to fix them, so we'll always show you what we've found and explain why it's coded the way it is. Ask us to justify anything on the report — we'd rather you did.
Report due?
Landlords, shops, village halls and farms — one visit, one set of paperwork.